22: Chapter 22 Overwhelmed with gratitude, a treasure trove of treasures

"Let's go, time to eat." Second Uncle tossed the finished iron bar into a basket and turned to go inside.

Second Uncle filled two bowls with rice and handed one to Lin Ye.

"That's too kind, I can serve myself."

Lin Ye was somewhat overwhelmed by the gesture and hurriedly accepted the bowl with both hands.

Second Uncle personally serving him rice was an unprecedented first.

Suddenly, while eating, Lin Ye noticed a pair of chopsticks reaching over, holding a piece of meat.

"Don't just eat rice, have some meat too." Second Uncle placed the meat into Lin Ye's bowl.

"Thank you, Second Uncle," Lin Ye mumbled with his mouth full.

Seeing this, Second Uncle picked up another piece with his chopsticks.

By the time the meal was finished, Lin Ye was completely stuffed. During the meal, Second Uncle had refilled his rice bowl seven times.

Although his Physical Body had broken through its limits, he wasn't a bottomless pit.

Second Uncle stopped Lin Ye from clearing the dishes and pointed to the chair opposite him. "Keep me company for a bit."

Lin Ye sat down as instructed. The two of them sat facing each other, just staring, wide-eyed.

After a long silence, Second Uncle finally spoke. "Thank you for this time..."

"What are you saying, Second Uncle? Brother Gang has shown me immense kindness. How could I stand by and watch him die!" Lin Ye could only repeat the story he had given at the village chief's house.

Second Uncle just nodded upon hearing this.

He was never good with words. Speaking this much to Lin Ye today was already his limit.

The two sat in silence for a while longer. Seeing Lin Ye looking as if he were sitting on pins and needles, Second Uncle waved his hand impatiently. "Alright, you can go. Remember to come early tomorrow."

Hearing this, Lin Ye quickly stood up, offered a hasty apology, and left swiftly.

He couldn't shake the feeling that Second Uncle was acting strange today, but he couldn't quite put his finger on what exactly was off.

---

After leaving Second Uncle's house, Lin Ye headed straight for the Martial Arts Training Ground.

From a distance, he could see a large crowd gathered there, surrounding the Martial Arts Training Ground so tightly it was impenetrable. Exclamations and discussions could be heard from time to time.

"There are so many wolf carcasses!"

"I heard Tie Zhu and the others carried these back from Heifeng Mountain. It took them three hours just to transport them."

"Look at those fangs, they must be a palm's length long."

Lin Ye squeezed through the crowd and immediately saw the small mountain of wolf carcasses piled in the center of the ground.

Grey ones, black ones, over a hundred of various sizes, stacked together like a small burial mound.

At the edge of the Martial Arts Training Ground, Zhao Shanhe was directing several militiamen to take stock of the wolf carcasses.

Seeing Lin Ye approach, he waved him over.

Lin Ye walked over, and the crowd automatically parted to make a path for him.

Someone recognized Lin Ye and immediately whispered to the person beside them, "I heard it was this young man, alone with a single staff, who took down all these hundred-plus wolves."

"Huh? Really? He doesn't look very old. That impressive?"

"It's true. I heard from Tie Zhu that he single-handedly blocked the entrance of a mountain cave, holding off an entire wolf pack, plus a Wolf King!"

...

"Tsk tsk tsk, kid, your prestige in the village is almost surpassing mine now."

Zhao Shanhe looked Lin Ye up and down, his eyes as if beholding some rare treasure.

"Captain, stop teasing me," Lin Ye said, rubbing his nose.

"So, how are your injuries?"

Hearing this, Zhao Shanhe's expression also turned serious as he shifted to inquiring about Lin Ye's injuries.

"Almost completely healed."

"Mmm, that's good."

Zhao Shanhe nodded, then pointed at the pile of wolf carcasses in the field. "What do you plan to do with these wolf carcasses?"

Lin Ye glanced at the pile of wolf carcasses, then at the surrounding villagers, and smiled. "There are so many wolves. I couldn't possibly eat them all myself. Why not distribute them to the whole village? Every household can have a share."

"Kid, do you have any idea how much silver these wolf carcasses would be worth if sold entirely? Are you really willing to give them away like this?

After all, you killed all these wolves alone. Even if you took everything, no one would say a word."

Hearing this, Lin Ye shook his head. "Right now, I eat and live in the village. What would I do with silver? It's not worth the trouble."

This was his genuine thought.

Over a hundred wolf carcasses... selling them would take forever.

He'd rather spend that time Cultivating a few Cultivation Techniques.

Of course, the main reason was also that the Wang Family Village had simple, honest customs.

If it were a village of ungrateful people, he'd rather throw the carcasses into the mountains to feed wild beasts than give them away.

"Alright."

Seeing he couldn't persuade Lin Ye, Zhao Shanhe nodded. He then turned to face the villagers and announced loudly, "Lin Ye says these wolf carcasses are to be distributed to the whole village. Everyone gets a share!"

The crowd immediately erupted.

"Great! Fantastic! We'll finally have meat to eat!"

"Thank you, Brother Lin Ye!"

"Brother Lin Ye is so generous!"

Everyone expressed their gratitude towards Lin Ye. Several women in the crowd had already started calculating how much they might receive.

Some bold children even ran around the wolf carcasses, some attempting to reach out and touch the wolf fangs.

Zhao Shanhe had the militiamen maintain order, then began distributing the meat to the villagers.

There were many wolf carcasses. Even calculated per capita, each household could receive two or three.

Just then, Zhao Shanhe pulled Lin Ye to the backyard.

In the courtyard lay a wolf carcass that occupied over half the space.

Sunlight shone on its body, its silvery-white fur reflecting light like satin.

Even though it was dead, a sense of pressure still emanated from it.

"The wolf carcasses outside can be distributed freely," Zhao Shanhe said, pointing at the Wolf King's corpse. "But this one cannot be handled casually."

"Why?" Lin Ye asked curiously.

"Have you heard of mystical beasts?" Zhao Shanhe squatted down and patted the Wolf King's head.

Lin Ye shook his head.

As a player, where would he have heard of such a thing?

"So-called mystical beasts, you can think of them as the Ranked Martial Artists among wild beasts."

"Not only is their strength far beyond ordinary beasts, but the most crucial thing is that mystical beasts usually possess special Bloodlines within them. Their flesh and blood are highly nourishing for Martial Artists!"

As he spoke, he pointed at the Wolf King's claws and teeth again. "Also, look at these claws and teeth. Grind them down a bit, and they become top-grade Sharp Weapons. An ordinary Ranked Martial Artist wouldn't dare to block them head-on."

He stroked the Wolf King's fur. "This fur, if made into leather armor, would be impenetrable by blades or spears."

"And the bones. If ground into powder and added during a medicinal bath, the efficacy of the medicine can double!"

Lin Ye listened, dumbfounded.

Good grief, this thing wasn't a mystical beast; it was practically a mobile treasure trove.

"In short, even for a Ranked Martial Artist, this thing holds significant value," Zhao Shanhe concluded, standing up and clapping his hands.

Lin Ye looked at the wolf carcass and remained silent for a moment.

"Captain, you handle this wolf carcass. Just save some meat for me to taste later."

Zhao Shanhe was taken aback. "I handle it?"

"Yes. Captain, you've helped me a great deal, and I have little to repay you with. Consider this wolf carcass a token of thanks."

In fact, in Lin Ye's view, just this one wolf carcass wasn't enough to repay Captain Zhao's kindness.

However, Zhao Shanhe waved his hand. "My path forward is already severed. Giving this to me would be a waste."

"But you're different!

You're young. You have talent.

Only in your hands can this wolf carcass realize its maximum value."

Lin Ye wanted to say something more, but Zhao Shanhe cut him off with a wave. "Enough, it's settled. I'll handle this wolf carcass. We'll skin it, bone it, and send everything over to you once it's ready."

"Also, kid, take it easy from now on. Don't be so quick to risk your life!"

With that, he turned and left.

Lin Ye stood in the courtyard, his gaze meeting the Wolf King's unblinking dead eyes.

Sigh~ Why does it feel like I'm just accumulating more and more debts of gratitude?